Sharing best practices for community-based tourism in Protected areas of the Amazon - 05/2018

From May 7-9 the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and ICMBio hosted the 5th International Seminar on Tourism in Amazon Protected Areas. The event was co-organized with the Government of Acre, the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve, the Federal University of Acre, and Colorado State University, with funding from and in partnership with USAID’s Partnership for the Conservation of Amazon Biodiversity Program.

The event was held in Rio Branco, Brazil and gathered approximately 130 participants from seven countries (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Canada, and the U.S.). Representatives included officials from the federal, state and local government, traditional and indigenous communities, NGOs, universities and the private sector. USAID representatives were Ana Paula Mendes, from Brazil, and Monica Romo, from Peru.

The primary goal of the seminar was to share good practices for community-based tourism with practitioners from across the Amazon basin. The seminar presentations and case studies highlighted the importance and potential of community-based tourism with traditional and indigenous communities as a supplemental income-generating activity for Amazon Protected Areas. These good practices were summarized in a final report that will contribute to federal policies in Brazil to support implementation of community-based tourism throughout the Amazon region.

Seminar participants had the honor to hear Chico Mendes’ daughter, Angela Mendes, speak about her father’s life and legacy to save the Amazon Rainforest. This year, Brazil will mark the 30th anniversary of the murder of Chico Mendes.